Charcoal barbecue grills

ABSTRACT

A charcoal grill includes a vessel configured to hold and burn charcoal for cooking food. The charcoal grill may include a receptacle moveable between a first position in which the receptacle is positioned for collecting ashes from charcoal burned in the vessel and a second position in which the receptacle is separated from the vessel for disposal of the collected ashes. Additionally, or alternatively, the vessel may define a passage extending from an exterior side of the vessel to an interior side of the vessel for permitting a starter device to be inserted into the passage for igniting charcoal within the vessel. Additionally, or alternatively, the charcoal grill may include a vent system including at least one vent opening extending through a portion of the vessel, a vent cover movable with respect to the vent opening between a closed position and an open position, and at least one calibration associated with the vent cover between the closed position and the open position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/113,762 filed May 23, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S.Application No. 61/347,203 filed on May 21, 2010. The entire disclosuresof each of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to barbecue grills for cookingand/or smoking food and, more particularly, to charcoal barbecue grills.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Many different types of barbecue grills are known for cooking and/orsmoking meats and other types of food. These grills can generally bedivided into two types: gas-fueled grills and charcoal grills.Gas-fueled grills commonly use liquid propane or natural gas as theprimary fuel for cooking food over gas burners. In contrast, charcoalgrills are configured to hold and burn charcoal to generate heat forcooking food. Of these two grill types, charcoal grills are widelyregarded by grilling enthusiasts as imparting the best flavor to foods.Charcoal grills are commonly available in a variety of configurationsincluding, for example, kettle-style charcoal grills, barrel-stylecharcoal grills, kamado-style charcoal grills, etc.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a kamado-stylecharcoal grill includes a vessel configured to hold and burn charcoalfor cooking food, and a receptacle moveable between a first position inwhich the receptacle is positioned for collecting ashes from charcoalburned in the vessel and a second position in which the receptacle isseparated from the vessel for convenient removal and disposal of thecollected ashes by a user.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a charcoal grillincludes a vessel configured to hold and burn charcoal for cooking food.The vessel defines a passage extending from an exterior side of thevessel to an interior side of the vessel. The passage permits a starterdevice to be inserted into the passage by a user from the exterior sideof the vessel for igniting charcoal within the vessel, and removed fromthe passage from the exterior side of the vessel.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a charcoalgrill includes a vessel configured to hold and burn charcoal for cookingfood, and a vent system including at least one vent opening extendingthrough a portion of the vessel, a vent cover movable with respect tothe vent opening between a closed position and an open position, and atleast one calibration associated with the vent cover between the closedposition and the open position.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. It should be understood that various aspects of thisdisclosure may be implemented individually or in combination with one ormore other aspects, elements or features described herein and/orillustrated in the drawings, and in a wide variety of configurations.Accordingly, it should be understood that the description and specificexamples in this disclosure are intended for purposes of illustrationonly and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a charcoal grill according to oneexample embodiment of the present disclosure with a cover of thecharcoal grill shown in a closed position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the charcoal grill of FIG. 1 with thecover of the charcoal grill shown in an open position, and with upperand lower cooking surfaces of a cooking rack shown pivoted upward;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the charcoal grill of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a shock absorber of thecharcoal grill of FIG. 1, configured to help inhibit the cover of thecharcoal grill from slamming against a base of the charcoal grill whenmoving to the closed position;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the charcoal grill of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fire bowl of the charcoal grill ofFIG. 1 shown above the base of the charcoal grill;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the charcoal grill of FIG. 1 with the coverremoved to illustrate interior components of the charcoal grill;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an ash drawer of the charcoal grill ofFIG. 1, configured for use to collect and remove ashes from the charcoalgrill;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal section view of the charcoal grill of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a grate structure of the charcoal grillof FIG. 1, configured to hold charcoal in the fire bowl of the charcoalgrill and allow the charcoal to be burned for cooking operation;

FIGS. 11A-11E are perspective views of part of an upper vent and FIGS.11F-11J are perspective views of part of a lower vent of the charcoalgrill of FIG. 1, each illustrated in various different positions forallowing different amounts of airflow through the charcoal grill;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of part of the upper vent shownin FIGS. 11A-11E;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an ash drawer according to anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an electric starter suitable for usewith the charcoal grill of FIG. 1 to ignite charcoal in the charcoalgrill.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments are provided herein so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatiallyrelative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depictedin the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turnedover, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

As will be apparent, the teachings of this disclosure can be implementedin a wide variety of charcoal grills of various types, sizes andconfigurations (each referred to as an embodiment). For example, thevarious teachings of this disclosure can be applied to kettle-stylecharcoal grills and barrel-style charcoal grills that are commonlyformed of steel, as well as kamado-style charcoal grills that aretypically formed of clay, high fire ceramics, refractory materials,traditional terra cotta, cement rock compositions, etc.

Each charcoal grill typically includes a vessel of some type configuredto hold and burn charcoal to generate heat for cooking food (e.g., bysearing, grilling, baking, smoking, steaming, etc.). While natural lumpcharcoal and charcoal briquettes are typically preferred, wood may alsobe used as fuel in a charcoal grill. Accordingly, as used herein, theterm “charcoal” should be understood to include wood.

A charcoal grill constructed according to this disclosure may include areceptacle for collecting ashes. The receptacle may be moveable betweena first position in which the receptacle is positioned for collectingashes from charcoal burned in the vessel, and a second position in whichthe receptacle is separated from the vessel for convenient removal anddisposal of the collected ashes by a user. The receptacle may beconfigured for insertion into an opening through the vessel. Thereceptacle may also form a portion (such as a bottom portion) of thevessel when the receptacle is in the first position. One or moremechanical structures may also be provided for retaining the receptaclein the first position. These mechanical structures may be integral withor separate from the receptacle and/or vessel.

Additionally, or alternatively, a charcoal grill constructed accordingto this disclosure may include a vessel that defines a passage extendingfrom an exterior side of the vessel to an interior side of the vessel.The passage is configured (i.e., with a size and/or shape) to permit astarter device to be inserted into the passage by a user from theexterior side of the vessel for igniting charcoal within the vessel.Suitable starter devices include electric starters (typically having anelectric coil or loop), butane starters, matches, etc. The passage canbe positioned so that the starter device can be inserted below a gratesupporting charcoal in the vessel for igniting the charcoal from thebottom side of the grate. Preferably, the starter device can be removedfrom the passage after igniting the charcoal without also removingburning charcoal. A cover panel may be provided to selectively allow andinhibit access to the passage from the exterior side of the grill. Ifthe grill is provided with a receptacle for collecting ashes and apassage for inserting a starter device, these features can beimplemented separately or integrated into a single removable unit thatincludes the ash receptacle.

Further, a charcoal grill constructed according to the presentdisclosure may also (or alternatively) include a vent system thatincludes at least one vent opening extending through a portion of thevessel, a vent cover movable with respect to the vent opening betweenopen and closed positions, and at least one calibration associated withthe vent cover between the closed position and the open position. Eachcalibration may correspond to a particular level of airflow through thecharcoal grill and may provide for graduated amounts of airflow (e.g.,on a graduated scale from no airflow to high airflow, etc.). If multiplevent openings and vent covers are employed, each may be provided withone or more independent calibrations. Alternatively, a continuous seriesof calibrations may be associated with two or more vent covers. Thecalibrations may be positioned on moving or non-moving portions of thecharcoal grill, including on the vent covers, on non-moving portions ofthe vessel adjacent the vent covers, etc. A vent opening, vent cover andassociated calibration may be positioned on a lower portion or an upperportion of the charcoal grill, or both, for selectively allowing air toenter and/or exit the vessel under user control. If the grill is alsoprovided with a receptacle for collecting ashes, the vent system can beimplemented separately or integrated into a single removable thatincludes the ash receptacle.

It should be appreciated that individual elements or features ofparticular example embodiments described herein are generally notlimited to those particular embodiments, but, where applicable, areinterchangeable and can be used in other selected embodiments, even ifnot specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in manyways. Thus, charcoal grills may have any desired combination of aspects,elements and/or features described herein.

One example embodiment of a kamado-style charcoal grill having an ashreceptacle, a passage for a starter device and at least one calibratedvent system will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-12. Itshould be understood, however, that the teachings of this disclosure arenot so limited, and can be applied to a wide variety of other charcoalgrills having, for example, only an ash receptacle, only a passage for astarter device, or only a calibrated vent system.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the illustrated charcoal grill 100 generallyincludes a vessel 102, a support structure 104 holding the vessel 102,and shelves 106 coupled to side portions of the vessel 102. The supportstructure 104 is configured to hold the vessel 102 in a secure positionand at a desired height for cooking operation. And, the shelves 106provide space, for example, for supporting items when using the charcoalgrill 100. The illustrated support structure 104 includes multiplecastors 108 such that the support structure 104 can roll as desired formoving the charcoal grill 100. In other example embodiments, supportstructures may alternatively be stationary-type structures (e.g.,structures without wheels, etc.), etc. for supporting charcoal grills.

In the illustrated embodiment, the vessel 102 includes a lower base 112and an upper cover 114. The cover 114 is pivotally coupled to the base112 by a hinge structure 116. This allows the cover 114 to pivot betweena closed position in which the cover 114 is positioned over the base 112and an open position in which the cover 114 allows access into the base112 (e.g., to access charcoal, food, etc.). The hinge structure 116includes a spring-assist feature configured to help with opening andclosing movement of the cover 114. In the illustrated assembly, thisfeature includes springs 120 tensioned toward the open position of thecover 114 to assist with opening movement of the cover 114 by urging thecover 114 to pivot to the open position. The springs 120 also help holdthe cover 114 in the open position and resist closing movement of thecover 114 (helping a user generally close the cover 114, and inhibitingthe cover 114 from inadvertently slamming closed).

The vessel 102 also includes a shock absorber 122 mounted to the base112 of the vessel 102 to further help inhibit the cover 114 fromslamming against the base 112 when moving to the closed position. Anenlarged view of the shock absorber 122 is shown in FIG. 4. For example,as the cover 114 moves to the closed position, the shock absorber 122operates to initially engage the cover 114 and dampen the closing impactbefore the cover 114 actually engages the base 112. This feature cansubstantially help protect the cover 114 and base 112 from damage, forexample, if the cover 114 suddenly falls to the closed position, etc. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the shock absorber 122 includes aspring-based structure mounted to a forward portion of the base 112. Inother example embodiments, shock absorbers may include other structuressuch as, for example, fluid-based structures, magnetic-based structures,etc. located as desired on the vessel 102.

In the illustrated embodiment, a temperature control unit 124 (e.g., athermometer, etc.) is positioned within the cover 114 of the vessel 102.The temperature control unit 124 operates to measure and/or monitortemperature within the charcoal grill 100 as needed.

With reference now to FIGS. 5-7, the illustrated charcoal grill 100 alsoincludes a fire bowl 128 configured to be disposed within the vessel 102and configured to hold charcoal in the vessel 102 (and allow thecharcoal to burn) for use in cooking food. The fire bowl 128 isremovably positioned within the vessel 102 such that it can be removedfrom the vessel 102 and then subsequently positioned back in the vessel102 as desired. This can allow the fire bowl 128 to be easily cleaned,if need, separate from the vessel 102. A grate structure 130 ispositionable within the fire bowl 128 for supporting the charcoal in thefire bowl 128 during use of the charcoal grill 100 (only part of thegrate structure 130 is shown in the fire bowl 128 in FIG. 7). The firebowl 128 may be formed from suitable materials such as, for example,high fire ceramics, refractory materials, traditional terra cotta,cement rock compositions, etc.

With additional reference to FIG. 8, an ash drawer 132 (also termed areceptacle, a removable unit, etc.) is included for use to collectand/or clean ashes from the charcoal grill 100, for example, followingcooking operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the ash drawer 132 isconfigured to slide in a substantially horizontal direction into and outof an opening 134 (FIGS. 5 and 6) in the base 112 of the vessel 102. Forexample, the ash drawer 132 can initially be positioned in the opening134 to collect ashes from the burned charcoal (as illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2). Here, a collection portion 132 a of the ash drawer 132 islocated under the fire bowl 128 to collect the ashes, with the fire bowl128 acting to funnel the ashes through a lower opening 136 into the ashdrawer 132. The ash drawer 132 can then be removed (e.g., separated,etc.) from the base 112 by sliding the ash drawer 132 out of the opening134 (via an external grip 138) for disposing (e.g., dumping, etc.) thecollected ashes. The ash drawer 132 of the illustrated charcoal grill100 eliminates need to rake the ashes out of the base 112 (as oftenrequired by previous grill designs). A detent can be provided on the ashdrawer 132 to help secure the ash drawer 132 in the opening of the base112 when positioned for collecting ashes. For example, the detent caninclude a protrusion, bubble, dent, etc. on the ash drawer 132configured to fit into a corresponding recess defined in the base 112,or any other acceptable retention mechanisms.

With additional reference now to FIG. 9, the illustrated charcoal grill100 further includes a passage extending from outside the charcoal grill100 into an interior portion thereof to permit a starter device (e.g.,an electric starter, a butane starter, a match, etc.) to be insertedthrough the passage for igniting the charcoal in the charcoal grill 100(in particular, the charcoal within the fire bowl 128). The passageincludes a port 144 (see also FIG. 5) defined in the ash drawer andaligned openings 146, 148 (see also FIG. 6) defined in the base 112 andthe fire bowl 128. As such, the passage extends from outside the base112 of the charcoal grill 100, through the port 144 of the ash drawer132 (when the ash drawer 132 is positioned in the opening 134 of thebase 112), and through the openings 146, 148 of the base 112 and firebowl 128.

A cover panel 150 (see also FIG. 8) is coupled to the ash drawer 132 toselectively allow and inhibit access to the passage from outside thecharcoal grill 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover panel 150is pivotally coupled to the ash drawer 132 by a spring-type hinge 152(FIG. 8) extending along a top, substantially horizontal edge of thecover panel 150. The hinge 152 allows the cover panel 150 to pivotrelative to the ash drawer 132 between a closed position blocking thepassage of the charcoal grill 100 (at the port 144 of the ash drawer132) and an open position allowing access into the passage. As such, thecover panel 150 can be pivoted open when the starter device is insertedthrough into the passage (via the port 144) for use in igniting thecharcoal, and then pivots closed (via the spring action of the hinge)when the starter device is removed. When closed, the cover panel 150 notonly blocks access into the passage but also inhibits flaming embersfrom exiting the grill through the port 144. Alternatively, the coverpanel 150 could be coupled to the ash drawer 132 differently thanillustrated herein, for example, slidably coupled, removably coupled,etc.

As previously described, the grate structure 130 is configured to bepositioned within the fire bowl 128 to support the charcoal therein (andallow the charcoal to be burned as desired). With reference to FIGS. 9and 10, the grate structure 130 includes a base grate 154 (also referredto as a lower grate) and a perforated cage 156 (also referred to as anupper grate) coupled thereto (e.g., via a mechanical fastener, etc.).This construction provides a two tier charcoal support that defines apocket 158 above the base grate 154 and below the perforated cage 156,and generally under the charcoal when supported on the grate structure130. When the grate structure 130 is positioned in the fire bowl 128(FIG. 9), the pocket 158 is oriented in general alignment with passageof the charcoal grill 100 so that the starter device can be insertedthrough the passage and into the pocket 158 for igniting the charcoal onthe grate structure 130. As such, the pocket 158 operates to separatethe starter device from the charcoal so that the starter device can beremoved from the charcoal grill 100 after igniting the charcoal withoutalso removing burning charcoal therewith. In the illustrated embodiment,the perforated cage 156 has a generally rectangular cross-section suchthat the pocket 158 also includes a rectangular cross-section. However,the perforated cage 156 (and thus the pocket 158) could include othershapes as desired.

With reference now to FIGS. 1, 5, 11, and 12, the illustrated charcoalgrill 100 includes a vent system for controlling airflow through thecharcoal grill 100 (and thus temperature within the charcoal grill 100).The vent system includes an upper vent 164 disposed in the cover 114 ofthe vessel 102 and a lower vent 166 (also referred to as a temperaturecontrol panel or a temperature control zone) disposed, collectively, inthe base 112 and the ash drawer 132. This allows airflow in the charcoalgrill 100 generally between the lower vent 166 and the upper vent 164.Components of the upper and lower vents 164, 166 may be constructed fromstainless steel, cast iron, thermally insulating materials, and/or maybe powder coated as desired.

The upper and lower vents 164, 166 are each operable between a closedposition (FIG. 1 and FIG. 11E) where airflow through the vent isinhibited and various open positions (FIG. 11) where airflow is allowed.The upper vent 164 includes a vent opening 168 (FIG. 5) in the cover114, a base portion 170 positioned over the vent opening 168, and a ventcover 172 positioned over the base portion 170 (FIG. 12). The baseportion 170 includes multiple slots 174 a aligned with the vent opening168 in the cover 114. And, the vent cover 172 is configured to rotate(via use of a thermally insulated handle 172 a) over the base portion170 to selectively cover the slots 174 a and expose the slots 174 a (byaligning slots 174 b of the vent cover 172 with the slots 174 a o thebase portion 170), thus operating the upper vent 164 between the closedand open positions. The lower vent 166 also includes a vent opening inthe vessel base 112 (which corresponds to base opening 134 and which mayalso be referred to as a vent opening herein) and a vent cover 180associated with the ash drawer 132. The vent cover 180 is positioned inalignment with the opening 134 when the ash drawer 132 is located in thevessel 102 to collect ashes. In the illustrated embodiment, the ventcover 180 includes two semicircular dials 182 a, 182 b coupled to theash drawer 132 and configured to rotate to selectively cover and exposethe opening 134 through the ash drawer 132 (and thus operate the lowervent 166 between the closed and open position). A screen 184 is providedon the ash drawer 132 between the opening 134 and the dials 182 a, 182 bto inhibit embers from the burning charcoal from exiting the vessel 102through the opening 134. In the illustrated embodiment, the dials 182 a,182 b are about the same size. In other example embodiments, however,dials having different sizes may be provided to allow for differentscales of adjustment of airflow through vent openings.

For example, dial 182 a could be smaller than dial 182 b. In that event,the smaller dial 182 a could be used primarily for smoking food (e.g.,with the larger dial 182 b is in its closed position), and the largerdial 182 b could be used for grilling and/or searing foods (e.g., whilethe smaller dial 182 a is in its closed or open position, depending onthe size of the dials 182 a, 182 b and the overall grill configuration).Further, each dial 182 a, 182 b could have one or more associatedcalibrations (e.g., either two sets of calibrations or a continuousseries of calibrations for both dials), as further described below.

The upper and lower vents 164, 166 each include calibrations 188provided between the closed position and the open position. Thecalibrations 188 correspond to different airflow through the vents 164,166 (e.g., different volumes of airflow through the vents 164, 166,etc.). And, the calibrations 188 are provided on a graduated scaleranging from no airflow through the charcoal grill 100 up to highairflow through the charcoal grill 100 (with graduated amounts ofairflow provided in between). As such, the calibrations 188 effectivelydefine how much of each vent opening 168, 134 is exposed by thecorresponding vent cover 172, 180. Example positioning of the ventcovers 172, 180 of the upper and lower vents 164, 166 relative to thevarious calibrations 188 are illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11J.

The upper and lower vents 164, 166 can be operated individually tocontrol airflow through the charcoal grill 100, or they can be operatedin sync together (as illustrated in FIG. 11). Such control allows usersto achieve specific temperatures for specific cooking operations. Thecalibrations 188 allow users to finitely adjust the airflow andtemperature in the charcoal grill 100, and thus provide precisetemperature control for different cooking operations (e.g., smoking,searing, etc.). Moreover, the calibrations 188 on the upper vent 164 andthe calibrations on the lower vent 166 can be coded for specific cookingoperations (based on the airflow through the charcoal grill 100associated with the calibrations 188). In the illustrated embodiment,the calibrations 188 include numeric indicators located on non-movingparts of the vents 164, 166. In other example embodiments, calibrationsmay include other indicators (e.g., alphabetic indicators, pectoralindicators, etc.) and/or may be located on moving parts of the vents164, 166.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a cooking rack 192 is also provided in theillustrated embodiment for use with the charcoal grill 100. The cookingrack 192 includes upper and lower cooking surfaces 194, 196 thattogether total almost 600 square inches. The upper cooking surface 194is removably coupled to the lower cooking surface 196 such that the twosurfaces 194, 196 can be separated (and separately used) as desired. Theupper cooking surface 194 includes a pivotable access portion 194 a thatallows access to the lower cooking surface 196 (when the two cookingsurfaces 194, 196 are coupled together). And similarly, the lowercooking surface 196 includes a pivotable access portion 196 a thatallows access to the charcoal in the fire bowl 128 when the cooking rack192 is positioned in the vessel 102 (and when food is positioned oneither the upper or lower cooking surfaces 194, 196).

FIG. 13 illustrates another example embodiment of an ash drawer 232suitable for use with example embodiments of charcoal grills asdisclosed herein. The ash drawer 232 is configured for use to collectand/or clean ashes from charcoal grills, for example, following cookingoperation. In this example embodiment, the ash drawer 232 includes aslidable vent cover 280 for use with a lower vent of a charcoal grill.The vent cover 280 is operable between a closed position where airflowis inhibited and various open positions where airflow is allowed.Calibrations 288 are provided between the closed position and the openpositions. The calibrations 288 correspond to different airflow throughthe vent portion of the ash drawer 232. In addition, a screen 284 isprovided to inhibit embers from burning charcoal from exiting thecharcoal grill through ash drawer when the vent cover 280 is open (andthe ash drawer 232 is positioned in a charcoal grill).

FIG. 14 illustrates an example electric starter 398 suitable for usewith example embodiments of charcoal grills disclosed herein. As can beseen, the illustrated electric starter includes a heater coil/loop 398 aconfigured for use to ignite charcoal in example embodiments of thecharcoal grills (e.g., by way of extending through a passage of acharcoal grill, etc.).

In example embodiments of the present disclosure, suitable materials maybe used in construction of different elements of charcoal grills. Forexample, ash drawers may be constructed from stainless steel, ceramicmaterials, combinations thereof, etc. Cover panels may be constructedfrom ceramic materials. Grate structures, support structures, othercomponents, etc. may be constructed from stainless steel. Vent portionsmay be constructed from stainless steel, cast iron, etc. and/or may bepowder coated.

Specific dimensions and numeric values included herein are exemplary innature and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

1. A charcoal grill comprising: a vessel including an opening extendingbetween an interior of the vessel and an exterior of the vessel, thevessel comprising clay, ceramics, refractory materials, terra cotta orcement rock compositions; a fire bowl configured to hold charcoal andburn charcoal for cooking food, the fire bowl positioned within thevessel, the fire bowl comprising clay, ceramics, refractory materials,terra cotta or cement rock compositions; and a removable unit includinga receptacle for collecting ashes and a vent system comprising at leastone vent opening, a vent cover movable with respect to the vent openingbetween a closed position and an open position, and a plurality ofcalibrations associated with the vent cover between the closed positionand the open position corresponding to an airflow through the at leastone vent opening, the receptacle configured for insertion through theopening of the vessel and moveable in a substantially horizontaldirection between a first position in which the receptacle is positionedin the interior of the vessel for collecting ashes from charcoal burnedin the fire bowl and a second position in which the removable unit isseparated from the charcoal grill for convenient removal and disposal ofthe collected ashes by a user, wherein the charcoal grill is akamado-style charcoal grill.
 2. The charcoal grill of claim 1 whereinthe fire bowl comprises refractory materials.
 3. The charcoal grill ofclaim 2 wherein the vessel comprises refractory materials.
 4. Thecharcoal grill of claim 1 wherein the vessel includes a temperaturecontrol unit to monitor temperature within the charcoal grill.
 5. Thecharcoal grill of claim 1 further comprising a grate positioned withinthe fire bowl for supporting charcoal.
 6. The charcoal grill of claim 5further comprising a cooking rack.
 7. The charcoal grill of claim 6wherein the cooking rack includes an upper cooking surface and a lowercooking surface.
 8. The charcoal grill of claim 7 wherein the uppercooking surface is removably coupled to the lower cooking surface. 9.The charcoal grill of claim 7 wherein the upper cooking surface isconstructed of stainless steel.
 10. The charcoal grill of claim 1wherein the vent cover comprises a dial configured to be rotated by auser to selectively cover or expose at least a portion of the ventopening.
 11. The charcoal grill of claim 10 wherein at least a portionof the vent system is constructed of stainless steel.
 12. The charcoalgrill of claim 10 wherein the at least one calibration includes aplurality of numeric indicators.
 13. The charcoal grill of claim 10wherein the at least one vent opening, the vent cover and the at leastone calibration are a first vent opening, a first vent cover and a firstcalibration, respectively, the charcoal grill further comprising asecond vent opening, a second vent cover and a second calibrationpositioned on an upper portion of the vessel to selectively allow air toexit the vessel.
 14. The charcoal grill of claim 13 wherein the secondvent cover comprises a dial configured to be rotated by a user toselectively cover or expose at least a portion of the second ventopening.
 15. The charcoal grill of claim 13 wherein the second ventcover is constructed of cast iron.
 16. The charcoal grill of claim 1wherein the vent cover comprises a slidable vent cover.
 17. The charcoalgrill of claim 1 further comprising a support structure for holding thevessel and one or more shelves coupled to side portions of the vessel.18. The charcoal grill of claim 1 wherein the removable unit includes anexternal grip portion configured for engagement by a user when movingthe receptacle between the first position and the second position. 19.The charcoal grill of claim 1 wherein the fire bowl comprises a ceramicmaterial.
 20. The charcoal grill of claim 19 wherein the vesselcomprises a ceramic material.